The ask: what the organizer said
One page for everything the person who asked told you: the slot, your place in the program, the room, the microphone, what to cover and what to avoid. A checklist of the questions to ask is below it.
Essential on a first pass: the first four lines (occasion, date, slot and microphone) and the first three questions (how long, when in the program, whether there is a microphone). The rest can wait until a choice depends on it. Without these answers you write to a length you guessed and plan for a room you have not asked about. Saying yes explains each question.
The ask
One line per heading is enough. The first four (occasion, date, slot and microphone) are the Start here ask; the rest can wait until a choice depends on them.
Questions to ask the organizer
Tick each when you have the answer and write it in the second column. The first three (how long, when in the program, whether there is a microphone) are the Start here questions.
How to use this sheet
- One line per heading. Write what the organizer told you, in their terms, and who told you. "Who asked" holds a name and a way to reach them; "Contact on the day" holds the person to tell if something changes.
- Slot, before and after. "My slot" is minutes, as a number. "Who speaks before me" and "Who speaks after me" tell you your cue to start and what the audience has just heard; write the names.
- People, microphone, lectern, screen, recorded. These describe the room. Pick "Not known yet" for the microphone until someone has told you; that answer sends you to the question to ask, which is better than a guess.
- Record, do not conclude. Write the answer as given. "Daniel said two minutes" is an observation; "two minutes is enough" is a conclusion, and it belongs on the plan, after you have counted words.
- Questions sheet. Tick a question only when you have the answer, and write the answer beside it. An unticked question is a reminder of who to ask next.
These lines come from Lena Park's case: a toast at her grandmother Ruth Park's 80th birthday dinner. Occasion: Ruth Park's 80th birthday dinner. Who asked: Daniel Park (he/him), her uncle and the host, who toasts first. Slot: 2. Who speaks after me: no one else is on the program. People: about 14, all family. Microphone: none. Whether the restaurant room is loud enough that she needs to stand at one end is an open fact. Daniel settles it by calling the restaurant, so the lectern line stays blank and the "Can I try the room" question stays unticked until he answers.
This sheet records what the organizer said. It does not tell you whether the slot, the order or the microphone arrangement will hold on the day; the organizer, the venue or the officiant settles that, and the last question on the list (who to tell if something changes) is there for that reason. For a funeral or memorial, what the service allows is the officiant's to say; the two eulogy questions record the answer and do not replace asking.